


first impressions

by chime



Category: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-03 21:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10258739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chime/pseuds/chime
Summary: Emu tells Kiriya about M. Kiriya takes an interest.





	

**Author's Note:**

> a general "kiriya lives" au written because I was frustrated with nobody really telling emu about m's existence

“So,” Kiriya says, “What you’re saying is, the bugster virus in you has manifested as a second personality?”

Emu winces. It sounds so _weird_ when you say it so bluntly. “Yeah, basically.”

“Huh.” Kiriya says, leaning back. “Didn’t know that could happen.”

Emu shrugs. He’s starting to wish he had picked a different place to have this conversation - the CR was safe, and neutral, but you always ran the risk of someone interrupting you.

“Do you…” Kiriya frowns, thinking. “Can you control it? When it comes out?”

Emu shakes his head. “I still don’t really understand it.” Emu confesses. “And I never remember what he does when he’s out.”

“Well,” Kiriya says thoughtfully, “That does explain some things. You get kind of different when you transform.”

Sometimes Emu wonders why Kiriya wasn’t a detective, or something. He certainly has the drive for it. And he’d probably look good in a suit.

Focus, Emu.

“Er, I guess. I never really thought much of it.” Emu sighs. “Honestly, the other me sounds kind of like a jerk.”

Kiriya laughs. Emu huffs. “I’m serious! Last time he was really rude to everyone, and didn’t do any of my work, and I was super behind!”

Kiriya at least has the decency to try not to smile, but. It’s Kiriya. “It’s hard to imagine someone like you doing that.”

“He sounds like me when I was in high school.” Emu must have made a face, because Kiriya’s laughing again. “I was _insufferable_.”

“You were probably really cute.”

“ _Awful_.”

Kiriya leans in close, “ _Very_ cute.”

And then they don’t talk for a while.

* * *

One of the key parts of lying is being able to read people, and Kiriya’s gotten pretty good at it. Or at least he likes to think he has.

Even if he hasn’t, it wouldn’t take an expert to notice that Emu is acting really different.

Not just Emu - everyone in the CR is on edge. Hiiro’s even more tense every time he passes through, and he never sticks around for long. Asuna’s hovering around Emu, who doesn’t seem fazed by this in the least.

Since Kiriya came in, Emu hasn’t looked up from his DS once. That stings, a little. Not that he’d ever admit it.

“Hey, Emu.” Kiriya says, finally, frustration really getting to him.

Emu sighs dramatically. With a glare, he says, “ _What_ do you _want_?”

Kiriya frowns. Now is probably a bad time. “I’ll come back later.” He says, sliding off the table.

“B-bye!” Asuna says, before muttering something to Emu. Emu (or, not Emu, not the one he knows) says nothing.

* * *

Kiriya had taken to walking Emu home. Or, to his station, when their hours didn’t match up. It was nice, usually.

“Sorry about that,” Emu says, when they’d gotten a good way away from the CR.

“Hm?”

“Asuna told me you came in earlier.” He rubs his arm, not looking at him. “Sorry.”

Kiriya shrugs. “It wasn’t so bad. Kind of a weird atmosphere, though.”

Emu sighs. “Yeah. I think they’re all still worried about me getting worse. They don’t want to push too hard.”

“You’re not worried?”

“Well,” Emu says, a little uncomfortable. Kiriya really wishes he’d look at him. “I guess? Right now I’m more worried about everything else.”

That’s so like him. “It’s good you’re not stressing out over it. Still,” Kiriya wraps an arm around his shoulders. They were coming up on Emu’s station. “You should take care of yourself. Wouldn’t want our ace to get too sick, right?”

Emu laughs, but it’s half-hearted. “Yeah. Thanks, Kiriya.”

After he sees Emu off, Kiriya sticks around for a bit, distracted. He takes the long way back.

* * *

Emu spends most of his day off sleeping.

He had breakfast, and then he laid down again, and then it was 2 o’clock. Not that he had any plans aside from catching up on paperwork, but he hates wasting the day like that.

At first, he worries that maybe he hadn’t really been sleeping, but after a cursory check reveals that he doesn’t have a headache, his apartment wasn’t a mess, and he hasn’t sent any weird texts, he figured the other him (he had taken to calling him M, in his head) hadn’t done anything.

He really hopes so, at least.

M had been coming out more and more often lately, which was probably a bad sign. He wasn’t sure if M even wanted to do anything aside from play games, but the recurring patches of lost time were sort of getting to Emu.

“And now Kiriya is involved…” Emu frowns, fiddling with his phone. There was an app on there he didn’t remember installing, some kind of gacha-style game he’d heard about before.

“Seriously, M?” He mutters, but he has to admit he’s curious. Maybe playing a little before work wouldn’t hurt.

* * *

 

Kiriya had decided to surprise Emu on his day off by coming over, but he wasn’t home. Or he was asleep. Either way, he wasn’t opening the door.

He was just about to call him (not that he was worried, of course) when a voice comes from down the hall.

“Oh, Kiriya! Hey!”

“Hey, ace.” Kiriya says with a wave.

Emu grins. He’s holding a plastic bag, Kiriya notices. Takeout, maybe. “What’re you here for?” He asks, unlocking the door.

“Just wanted to hang out,” Kiriya says. He gives Emu a once-over. “Though, I have a feeling you’re not who I came to see.”

Emu - the other Emu? Emu 2? - pouts. “That was pretty quick.”

“The way you talk is pretty different.” Kiriya points out. “It’s kind of weird, honestly.”

“Huh,” says the other Emu. He sets the bag on his desk, and Kiriya realizes it’s full of junk.

“Is that your dinner?” He points to the bag.

Other Emu shrugs. He’s eyeing a console in the corner of the room.

“No, come on, I’ll make you something.” Kiriya insists. “I’m a pretty good cook, you know.”

That gets his attention again. Other Emu looks surprised, but only for a second. “Somehow, I don’t believe you.” He says, snickering. Still, he lets Kiriya look around his tiny kitchen for ingredients.

Something that proves to be a futile effort. “Man, you’re still living like a university student.”

Other Emu laughs. “Are you really doing any better? I’ve been to your house, you know.”

“Hey, that’s rude!” Kiriya says, but without any real heat. He’ll have to think about the implications of that later. For now, he should focus on feeding Emu. “Here, how about we go out to eat?”

That at least gets some genuine excitement out of him. “Yeah! Hang on, I’ll grab my stuff.”

Kiriya huffs a laugh. Getting to know this Emu wouldn’t be so bad. Might be fun, even.

And anyway, Kiriya was right. He is _definitely_ cute.


End file.
